Lucky to Have You
by kath0410
Summary: Rachel joins the football team for one game, unbeknownst to Quinn, who has a cheerleading competition on the same day. But Quinn eventually finds out and Rachel convinces her to let her play. By the end of the game, Rachel gets hurt and she realizes how lucky she is that she has Quinn as her girlfriend who cares about her deeply.


**A/N: So, I'm back with another one-shot. One thing, by the way. I don't know a single thing about football, so if there are mistakes here in regards to the game, forgive me. Plus, no football here where I live, so, yeah. Anyway, I'm thinking of continuing "Glad I Came". It was originally a one-shot that I wrote for Faberry Week, and well, tell me if you guys are up for that. For me to make that one-shot into a full-blown story, I mean. I just have to work out a plot and I'll work on it as soon as Grey's Anatomy stops being a distraction. I'm in season 10 already, anyway, so yeah. Just tell me what you guys think. Thanks! And, I'll stop now and let you go on with the story!**

* * *

Rachel grinned as she tossed her football helmet back and forth between her hands. She felt ready for her first and last football game, thanks to Noah who helped train her. She was helping the team out because one of their players was out, and they needed a sub if they were going to play. So, in true Rachel Berry fashion, she volunteered to help their school's football team out.

She hadn't told Quinn about it, of course. She knew that her beautiful blonde girlfriend would blow a gasket if she knew that Rachel was doing something as dangerous as this. It was a good thing that her girlfriend was on her way with the other cheerleaders for their National competition, because otherwise, there would be absolutely no way that she would be playing football right now, or anytime else for that matter. Of course, she also asked the football team to keep their mouths shut about it, too.

"Hey Jew Babe, you ready for this?" Noah asked with a huge grin on his face as he raised his hand for a high-five.

"Of course, Noah. I wouldn't be if you didn't help me out," Rachel mirrored the mohawked boy's grin and accepted the high-five.

"Alright. Just remember to be careful because I wouldn't know how to explain to Quinn if you get hurt out there," Noah said with a slight shudder. "And we know just how scary your girlfriend could get when she's pissed."

"Which is exactly why I made sure that this is a secret between all of us," Rachel said, her smile faltering. She really did have to be careful, because it was impossible to lie to Quinn. The cheerleader just knew how to read her so well to know whether she was telling the truth or not. "Where's Finn, by the way?"

"I dunno- oh, crap. Hide, quick!" Noah cut himself off and Rachel could see the panicked look in her friend's eyes. "Hide, Rach!"

Rachel nodded and quickly made her way towards coach Beiste and hid behind her. She took a slight peek, and gulped when she saw a very angry Quinn Fabray with a very scared-looking Finn right behind her. She was - in lack of a better term - screwed. Big time.

She could see Noah flailing his arms in a desperate attempt to throw Quinn off, but it wasn't working. At all. Her girlfriend had her arms crossed across her chest and glaring at Noah full force, and she knew that it wouldn't take long before her best friend broke down and hid with his tail between his legs. And then, she saw Quinn's eyes flicker towards her. She gulped and ducked behind coach Beiste, praying to whatever deity on high that her girlfriend didn't see her or believe a word of whatever Finn had probably told her.

She had no such luck, though.

"Rachel Barbra Berry, what do you think you're doing?"

She gulped and swallowed. Quinn's voice was deadly calm, but she knew that it was just the calm before the storm. She slowly turned around and saw her girlfriend glaring full-force at her with Noah right behind, looking frightened. She couldn't blame her friend for being scared, because angry Quinn is a really scary Quinn. Sure, her girlfriend was scary when she was popping a vein and screaming but it was even scarier when she was quiet and just silently glaring at you. It was like a very big storm brewing, and it never failed in scaring anyone.

"H-h-hi, Quinn. W-what brings you h-here?" Rachel managed in between stutters. She shrank back under her girlfriend's intense glare, and she knew that playing dumb wouldn't work. Because one, she was wearing a football jersey, and two, she was wearing a football jersey?

"Oh, I don't know. I heard from Hudson that my girlfriend is going to play football with guys twice or even three times her size? So, being the worried girlfriend that I am, I came to see if it was true," Quinn said in a challenging tone, her eyebrows raised as she gave the brunette a once over. "And apparently, it is true."

"I t-thought you were on your w-way to the v-venue of y-your cheerleading c-competition," Rachel gulped. She tried hard to talk straight, but Quinn's calmness was too unnerving.

"I was about to go on the bus, until Finn here asked me if I knew that you were going to play with them," Quinn said, her eyebrows still raised and her arms folded across her chest. "Of course, I had no idea because no one told me."

Rachel wanted to get mad at Finn, really, she did. But it was proving impossible to feel anything except fear when Quinn was glaring straight right at her, feet tapping at the ground impatiently as she waited for her explanation.

"I can explain," she blurted out, and Quinn looked at her with an unimpressed expression. She gulped and started to talk again. "They were out one man, and they needed a replacement if they wanted to play. So, I volunteered to replace their teammate just for this one game."

"Are you crazy?" Quinn hissed, her nostrils flaring. Rachel swallowed and closed her eyes. Here it was. "First off, _you _are not a guy. Second, you're going to be fighting off guys larger and stronger than you. And third, you might get _hurt. _They are going to crush you mercilessly, do you understand me? They are going to _crush _you," she emphasized by smacking her fist to her palm. "And for the love of God, I can't just stand around and watch you get hurt, Rachel. Do you have any idea how worried I would be? And what if I didn't know? What if I was out there in the cheering competition, blissfully unaware that my _girlfriend _is risking her life by playing _football_!?"

By this time, the angry tone in Quinn's voice was gone and she slumped her arms in defeat, her eyebrows furrowed and her hazel eyes clouded with worry. Rachel knew that her girlfriend wasn't angry so much as worried, and this was exactly why she made sure that she didn't know. Until Finn ruined that.

"That's why I didn't want you to know, okay? I knew that you would try really, _really _hard to convince me not to go on with this. But at the same time, I just couldn't ignore Noah and Finn's need for one more person." Rachel said as she stared back at Quinn. She knew that what she was doing was crazy and would possibly result in her having a few bruises and maybe even broken bones, but she also knew that her friends needed her to play. They were like a second family to her, and she couldn't deny them this request.

Rachel watched as Quinn sighed and chewed her lip, possibly contemplating whether to allow her to go on or not. But she wasn't going to back out. She was a woman of her word, and she didn't like breaking promises. So, she did the one thing that always had Quinn backing down. She pouted. She pouted and looked pleadingly at Quinn with her big, brown eyes. She could see that Quinn was trying hard not to look at her, but eventually, the cheerleader sighed in defeat.

"Fine," Quinn growled reluctantly. "Just- promise me that you will do everything you can not to get hurt, okay?"

Rachel beamed and jumped up to throw her arms around her girlfriend's neck. She kissed the cheerleader sweetly and pulled back, her brown eyes twinkling.

"Thank you, Quinn!" she squealed in delight.

"Yeah, yeah," Quinn sighed.

Rachel grinned and put on her helmet as she heard coach Beiste blow the whistle. She ran up to her teammates and Finn gave a small pep talk, being the team's quarterback. After him, coach Beiste gave her own speech and the team whooped before stalking towards the field. Rachel looked behind her shoulder and saw Quinn sitting in the very front, looking worriedly back at her. She smiled reassuringly at the cheerleader before looking straight ahead.

The two teams got into position in the middle of the field, and Rachel waited with bated breath for the game to start. Finally, it did. The ball was in possession of the opposing team, and Rachel ran around, dodging anyone who tried to tackle her into the ground. She watched as Noah tackled the guy handling the ball, and another guy from their team take it. She ran faster, watching as guys tackled each other in an attempt to snatch the ball away from their team.

She locked eyes with Noah, ball in his hand and looking straight at her. She nodded and reached out her hands as the ball zoomed towards her, catching it in midair then tucked it underneath her arm as she ran. She gulped when she heard heavy footsteps heading towards her direction, and she kept on running until she saw Finn nearing the goal. She locked eyes with the quarterback and threw the ball at him, grinning when he managed to catch it and threw the ball towards the goal. They had gotten the first point in the game.

The first half went by in a flash, and Rachel had thankfully managed to avoid any form of injury so far. They were in the lead by two points, and she breathed a sigh of relief. The training she went through with the team really helped, even if it was just for a short amount of time. They trekked towards the boys' locker room, where coach Beiste strategized their play for the next half. She paid full attention, not wanting to be the person to blame if ever they lost, even if this was the first and last game she would ever play with them.

Once coach Beiste had finished running everything through, Rachel left the boys locker room and went into the girls', wanting to freshen up there. Just because she was playing with the guys didn't mean she was entirely comfortable showing some skin around them. But with Quinn, it was an entirely different story.

She pushed the doors to the girls' locker room open, surprised when she saw the lights turned on and Quinn sitting on a bench, apparently waiting for her.

"Hey," Rachel greeted with a smile as she grabbed a towel and wiped her face and neck.

"Hey," Quinn greeted back with a small smile, and Rachel could tell that she was still worried. She placed her helmet beside the cheerleader and took off her jersey, sighing as she instantly felt cooler. She wiped the sweat off her torso before sitting beside her girlfriend.

"I told you I wasn't going to get hurt," Rachel said as she sat on Quinn's lap.

"That was just the first half. Who knows what could happen on the second," Quinn huffed as she gripped the tiny brunette's waist.

"Stop worrying so much, okay? I'll be fine," Rachel insisted.

"If you say so," Quinn sighed in defeat. "I just don't want you getting hurt."

"I know," Rachel said as she leaned down to kiss her worried girlfriend on the lips. She sighed in contentment as their lips moved together in perfect sync. She was in love with Quinn, but she hadn't told her yet because she didn't know if her feelings were already reciprocated, especially since they had been dating for only three months now. But she was sure she'd been falling for Quinn for far longer than that, and now, she had completely fallen for the cheerleader.

"How long do you have until you get back?" Quinn murmured against her lips.

"I have ten minutes," she answered.

"We can make out then," Quinn smirked as she pulled her cheerleading uniform top off of her head and threw it on the floor.

Rachel grinned and pushed the cheerleader so that she was lying on her back against the bench. She fused their lips back together and moved her hands towards the cheerleader's bra-clad breasts and started to palm them. She pushed her tongue inside the cheerleader's mouth the same time she squeezed her breasts, eliciting a surprised gasp. She swirled and flicked her tongue inside the cheerleader's mouth then sucked on her tongue, knowing how much it drove the cheerleader crazy.

"Rach," Quinn moaned as the brunette bit on her lower lip, continuing to massage her breasts. "U-under the bra. Touch me under the bra..."

Rachel groaned and did as Quinn requested. She slipped her hands inside the cheerleader's bra and pinched and twisted the hardening nipples as their tongues fought for dominance. She massaged and squeezed the cheerleader's breasts, her lips moving south towards her pale neck. She nipped and sucked at the exposed skin as the cheerleader moaned and whimpered underneath her. She silently wished that she had more time so that she could see Quinn when she came, but sadly, there wasn't enough time for them to have sex let alone dry hump.

"Mmm, so good," Quinn moaned as Rachel massaged her breasts.

"I have to go," Rachel said reluctantly as she removed her hands from Quinn's perfect breasts. She sighed when she saw the disappointed look on the cheerleader's face and bent down to kiss her chastely. "Sorry I couldn't let you come."

"It's okay," Quinn said with a soft smile as she sat up and grabbed her top from the floor. "Good luck out there."

"Thanks," Rachel smiled and kissed Quinn sweetly one more time before putting on her jersey and helmet. "I'll see you after the game?"

Quinn nodded and Rachel stood up and left the locker room, with the cheerleader following her. She trekked back to the field and saw the rest of her teammates piling back ahead of her. She jogged towards them and went back to their position. She watched as Quinn took her seat back in the very front and smiled before turning her attention back towards the person in front of her.

This time, the ball was in their possession. With Mike, specifically. Rachel ran ahead, doing what coach Beiste told her to do. Run, and wait for the ball to come her way. Then, run towards the goal because she was the smallest amongst the team and she could quickly slip by the guys on the opposite team. Also, she was the fastest and she could bring the ball to the goal as quickly as possible.

She watched as the ball was tossed back and forth between her teammates, and back into Mike's hands. She was nearing the goal, and her gaze locked with Mike's. They both nodded at each other, and Mike threw the ball towards her. She jumped up in the air and caught it, then started running to avoid wasting precious time. The goal got nearer and nearer, and she carefully dodged the players who tried to tackle her and slipped past some of them. Finally, she reached the goal and dove towards it, grinning when the crowd cheered for her. They were now leading by three points.

The game alternated between their team and the opposing team scoring. With one minute left, they were back to their two-point lead, and every second was crucial. Coach Beiste called for a time-out, and the team piled back towards the benches. They huddled up, and a new play was formed. They were to drag out the time as long as possible and never - in any circumstance - allow the opposing team to be in possession of the ball. A turnover must never happen, but if it does, they have to claim possession of the ball again at any and all costs.

The referee blew the whistle, signaling that it was time to head back to the field. Rachel put on her helmet once again and they took on their new positions. She stared the guy in front of her straight in the eye, and started running when the ball was tossed. The ball was with Karofsky, and he tossed it towards Azimio, who was in the open. But the ball slipped his hands and the guy behind him from the opposing team had caught it. Rachel groaned and watched as the ball was tossed between the players of the opposing team. But Noah had managed to catch up to the guy currently holding the ball and tackled him to the ground, with Finn instantly grabbing the ball.

Thirty seconds left. Rachel saw Finn running towards her, and she raised her hands, signaling for him to throw the ball at her. The quarterback tossed it towards her, and she managed to grip the ball despite it nearly slipping out of her hands. She ran towards the goal, fifty yards, then thirty, then twenty, until she felt someone ram into her, tackling her to the ground.

The last thing she remembered was the slight flash of pain and her world slowly turning into black as Noah and Finn screamed out her name.

* * *

When Rachel woke up, the first thing she saw was the white light blinding her eyes. She groaned, her head and back throbbing in slight pain. She looked to her left and saw white walls. She sighed as she looked to her right to see a very worried-looking Quinn staring at her.

"Quinn?" she said, her throat dry and sore.

"Rach," Quinn shot up from her seat and grabbed the cup filled with water from the bedside table. She sat up slowly and allowed the cheerleader to press the cup against her lips. She sipped the water slowly, sighing as the dryness of her throat went away.

"Where am I?" she asked, her eyes squinting at the white walls.

"We're in the hospital," Quinn answered as she took the brunette's right hand in hers.

Then she remembered. The game. Her being tackled to the ground and losing consciousness. She felt a pang of guilt; she hadn't kept her promise to Quinn about not getting hurt.

"You guys won, by the way," Quinn said softly, but Rachel could hear the slight crack in her voice. She felt happy for a slight moment, until she looked at the cheerleader more closely. She could see that Quinn's eyelids were red and puffy, and her cheeks were stained with tears. Quinn had been crying. Because of her.

"Quinn..." she said slowly, and Quinn shot up from her seat and threw her arms around Rachel.

"I was so worried," Quinn sobbed into her chest. "Y-you lost consciousness and wouldn't respond when we called out your name. God, I thought that the worst happened to you!"

Rachel bit her lip and rubbed Quinn's back as she sobbed freely into her chest. It was rare that the cheerleader showed any sign of being vulnerable let alone cry, and here she was, crying freely into her chest. She knew it was her fault. If she had been more careful and if she'd known that the guy would tackle her, she would have dodged him, but she was too focused on getting to the goal so this happened.

"I'm sorry, baby," she said with remorse as she stroked the cheerleader's hair. "I'm so sorry for worrying you..."

"Just promise me you won't do that to me ever again, okay?" Quinn choked out, tears streaming down her face.

"I promise," Rachel said softly as she wiped Quinn's tears away.

"I just can't bear to watch while you get hurt," Quinn said as she bit her lip. "I- I love you, Rachel. So please, don't ever do this again."

Rachel felt her heart stutter at the cheerleader's admission. Quinn loved her, too, but she always thought that she would be the first to say it. But it felt nice, though. At least she knew that Quinn felt the same way about her.

"I love you, too, Quinn," she said softly as she raised her head to kiss the cheerleader, ignoring the slight pain in her back as she did so.

"You better get some rest," Quinn murmured against her lips as they pulled apart. "You suffered from a mild concussion and you've got a few bruises..."

"You need to rest, too," Rachel said as she moved over to the left to give Quinn some space. "C'mere."

"Are you sure?" Quinn asked unsurely as Rachel patted the empty space next to her.

"I'm sure," Rachel said with a smile as Quinn climbed up on the bed to lie down next to her. The cheerleader carefully wrapped her arms around her waist and rested her head against her chest.

"Good night, Rachel," Quinn mumbled sleepily.

"Good night, Quinn," she answered as she pressed her lips against the cheerleader's forehead. "I love you."

She smiled when Quinn murmured a sleepy 'I love you, too' and closed her eyes, thinking how lucky she was to have Quinn as her girlfriend who worried and cared about her deeply.


End file.
